Hopper



June2,1942. w H, WARD n 2,284,781

HOPPER Filed March 27, 1940 2 Shets-sheef, 1

BY WlA LARD H.WARD

ATTORNEY. b

Patented June 2, 1942 UNITED STATES N PATENT 4"OFFICE,

HOPPER waard n. warmst. Johnsbury, vt., assigner u Fairbanks, Morse Co., Chicago, Ill., a corpoi "ration of Illinois i 4 Application Maren 27, 1940, serial No.1`32a137 I 2 Claims. (Cl.

Thisinvention relatesfto hoppersusedin con-V nection with the handling of bulk material, and

more. particularly to improvements `in hopper gate mechanism and means forgcontrolling the same. l -I I The object of the invention is theprovision, in a gravity discharge, dual gate hopper, of improved means for. supporting and operatively connecting the gates for reciprocal, co-ordinated movement to enable the gates rapidly to be I (Fig. 2) or in an opening direction, is transf .mitted through link 21 to effect clockwise rotarocked to open and closed positions with a mini- Y mum of applied power.

Other objectsand advantages will appear from the following description and accompanying drawings illustrating a presently preferred embodimentV of the invention. In the drawings:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of a hopper provided with the means of the invention, and

VFigs. 2 and 3 are end elevational views of the an elongate plate I2 having upstanding flanges I3 at the end margins, and an upstanding flange- I4 at the outer side margin thereof. Each of the 180"angularrelation- `The arm 25 is pivotally connected to one endof a link 21 whose opposite end is pivotally connectedto cradle arm Il at the center thereof, and similarly, a link 28 `operatively connects the `arm 26 of the rockerto cradle arm of.gate,G--2.v

It will now appear that a force acting on gate.

G-I in a direction to move it toward the left tion of rocker 22. Such movement of rocker 22 is transmitted through link 23 to cradle` arm 20 to cause gate G2 to move to the right or in an opening direction. The gates are thusly connected for conjoint movement away from and toward each other to open land close the hopper discharge passage. I l

As a power means for opening and closing the hopper gates as aforesaid, there is provided an electric motor M, mounted on a plate :IIIv which is secured to one of the side beams III, centrally thereof. Also mounted on plate below the `motor is'a suitable speed reduction gear unit,

designated 3|, and which includes a driven shaft 32. Connected to the opposite ends of shaft 32 by suitable couplings 33 are shaft sections 34 that extend horizontally beyond the ends of the hopper and are supported by bearing brackets 35 gates is mounted on a cradle structure, consisting I of laterally spaced beams I5 which extend 1ongi-..

tudinally in underlying relation tothe plate I2, the beams I5 of gate G-I` being supported at their ends by rocker arms I6, I5 and I1, I1. As bestappears from Fig. 2 therocker arms I5 and I5 are journalled at their upper ends on hangers Il that depend from the hopper frame beams II, and stub shafts I9 projecting longitudinally from the ends of the cradle beams I5 are jourvnalled in the lower ends of the rocker arms I5 and I5. Gate G-2 is supported `in like manner on rocker arms2ll,2|l and 2|, 2|.

The gates G-I and G-Z are operatively connected for coordinated reciprocal movement to open and close the hopper discharge passage by means of rockers 22, one thereof being provided at each end of the hopper. The rockers 22 are located between the cradle rocker arms I1 and 20 of the two gates and are journalled on `stub shafts 23 carried by bearing brackets 2l that that depend from beam I0. Fixed to the outer ends `of the shaft sections are cranks 36 which are operatively connected to the cradle rocker arms I5 by safety coupler devices, designated generally SC.`

The purpose of the safety coupler SC is to nected to a pin 40 on rocker arm I6. A plunger rod 41 has Journalling means 43 at oner end, and its opposite end extends into the coupler body member 31. Suitable yieldable restraining means contained within the body member 31 normally Y hold plunger rod 41 in an extended position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Such means are adapted to yield when abnormalcompressive pressures are exerted at the ends of the coupler, to permit plunger rod 41 to move inwardly of the coupler body. Under such a condition movement of cranks 33 is not transmitted to rocker arm I6 but, instead,l the movement is taken up by collapsing of the coupler.

Suitable electrical means are provided for controlling the operation of motor M, such means including a motor starting switch (not shown), directionallimit switches S-I and S--Z mounted on a bracket 59, and actuated by cams C-I and C-2 mounted on shaft 34, Fig. 1. Switch S-2 serves automatically to break the motor circuit and stop gate movement when the gates have obtained an open position, and switch S-I functions to interrupt the motor circuit following subsequent operation of the motor to restore the gates to closed position.

I claim:

1. In a hopper having a discharge passage at its lower end, a supporting frame, a pair of laterally related coacting gates for said discharge passage, below said frame, a pair of laterally y.opposed supporting arms of the gates, a link having a central pivotal' mounting and arms exv tending in oppositedirections therefrom, a pair of links operatively interconnecting the remote pivotally connecting each rocker at one side of its pivotal axis to a supporting arm of one gate, a link pivotally connecting each rocker at the opposite side of its pivotal axis to a supporting arm of the other gate, said rockers and links serving to interconnect the gates for conjoint movement toward and from each other; means for actuating the gates comprising a motor mounted on said frame at one side 'of the hopper,

a rotatable shaft operatively connected to said motor and extending horizontally along one side of the hopper, cranks fixed to the opposite ends of said Vshaft, and coupler devices connecting opposed supporting arms of one gate to said cranks for reciprocating movement thereby.

WILLARD H. WARD. 

